ATHENS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart doesn’t mince words or make excuses in defeat, and Saturday was no exception.

It would be easy to say it came down to a one-in-1,000 fluke fumble committed by the Bulldogs’ most trustworthy offensive player when he ran into his starting center on a well-blocked run play.

But then, that would be ignoring the defense’s inability to handle sudden change and get a stop with the game on the line, and the fact that Auburn exhibited more willpower and executed better in the final minute.

That’s why Smart held his team accountable and gave the Tigers credit for their fight and line play (Auburn out-rushed UGA 192-113) without mentioning the value of the bye week the schedule provided them entering into the game.

“We’ve got to improve, we can’t turn the ball over, we can’t have undisciplined penalties …,” Smart said. “I need more players to play winning football. I need to be able to play more than five lineman.

“We’re trying to play more guys because I don’t know that we can make it through this grind without it.”

Remember, Smart has said Georgia doesn’t practice to win one game, it practices to win all of them, and a soft start to the schedule allowed the Bulldogs to play many young players and keep starters fresh deeper into the season.

But Saturday night was a punch in the mouth and a valuable lesson for the UGA players on the price of a No. 1 ranking, as allowing an opponent any shot at victory will inspire a fierce challenge.

The bottom line is that Georgia football stock took a hit with its uncharacteristic loss and failure to measure up to the brand of a team that makes it a habit not to beat itself.

A streak of 53 wins against unranked opponents, dating back to a 20-17 overtime loss to South Carolina in 2019, came to an end.

Once every seven years doesn’t sound so bad for an outlier performance, but Smart won’t find any solace in that.

Gunner Stockton’s three-turnover night was certainly a factor, but so, too, was the absence of All-American safety KJ Bolden’s and the coaching staff’s failure to recognize Nate Frazier’s inefficiency early as the tailback attempted to come back from a rib injury.

Georgia has quickly gone from national championship favorite to a team facing a must-win game against an inspired Florida team that will arrive at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Oct. 31 with momentum and renewed confidence after knocking off what was a Top 10 Texas team on the road.

The Bulldogs certainly don’t want to travel to play Ole Miss on Nov. 7 with two losses, on the verge of College Football Playoff field elimination.

A three-loss Georgia — with a loss to an unranked team at home — would likely not make the cut unless the league gets so jumbled up that it could play in — and win — what will be the final SEC Championship Game with the CFP expected to move to a 24-team playoff field in 2027.

Here’s a look around the SEC at the stock of other programs:

STOCK SOARING

Tennessee shut down the Keelon Russell hype machine, limiting the Alabama quarterback to a 19-of-29 passing day that reflected 147 yards and 2 interceptions and just 6 yards and a TD on 11 rush attempts. The Vols drew a $500,000 fine for storming the field after the win, but they also put themselves in the Top 10 of the AP poll and hold a vision of a return to the CFP field.

DeSean Bishop became the second running back in as many weeks to rush for more than 100 yards (32 carries, 159 yards, 2 TDs) in as many weeks, as UGA’s Dwight Phillips Jr. went for 120 yards on 17 carries the Saturday before.

Ole Miss put a 31-3 beating on Missouri in a showdown of one-loss, top 15-ranked teams, building momentum going into a showdown on the road against a two-loss Texas clinging to its playoff hopes.

The combination of Trinidad Chambliss with his 3 passing touchdowns and rushing touchdown and return of tailback Kewan Lacy (16 carries, 122 yards) along with a defense that forced two turnovers and held the Tigers to 3 points makes the Rebels a growing threat.

Kentucky first-year coach Will Stein is keeping the Wildcats surprising season of contention going, leading his team to a 21-13 road win at Oklahoma and a 6-1 record an 4-1 mark in the SEC.

The Wildcats mustered only 230 yards of offense, but Kentucky did not turn the ball over while forcing four Sooners’ turnovers.

The Wildcats, led by Notre Dame transfer QB Kenny Minchey with his 13 TD passes and one interception, have decisive games ahead at Tennessee, at home against Florida, at Missouri and home against Louisville.

STOCK UP

Florida continued what’s been a yo-yo season by beating Texas on the road 27-24 and returning to the AP Top 25 rankings at No. 20. The Gators have a bye week before a massive showdown with Georgia in Atlanta on Dec. 31.

Trammel Jones Jr. made good on his first start at QB in place of injured Aaron Philo (shoulder) completing 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns along with carrying 10 times for 41 yards against Will Muschamp’s Texas defense

Arkansas snapped a 14-game SEC losing streak with a 31-21 road win over Vanderbilt on Saturday sparked by KJ Jackson’s 251 yards passing and 58 yards rushing on 11 caries.

STOCK DOWN

Texas has fallen from No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll to No. 19 with back-to-back 27-24 losses to teams that were not ranked when they played them — Oklahoma and Florida.

Coach Steve Sarkisian said he will evaluate everything on offense, including quarterback Arch Manning, who has struggled with 11 touchdown passs and 5 interceptions and the 10th-best QB rating in the SEC despite a star-studded supporting cast.

Vanderbilt has lost four-straight in the SEC, with the home loss to Arkansas a definitive low point for Commodores freshman quarterback Jared Curtis. The former Georgia commit who shared national championship aspirations with former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is surely sensing the reality of his decision, as he has six touchdowns, and seven interceptions and the 13th-best QB rating in the SEC despite his great talents.